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Load following of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) by cogeneration of hydrogen: A techno-economic analysis

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  • Locatelli, Giorgio
  • Boarin, Sara
  • Fiordaliso, Andrea
  • Ricotti, Marco E.

Abstract

Load following is the possibility for a power plant to adjust its power output according to the demand and electricity price fluctuation throughout the day. In nuclear power plants, the adjustment is usually done by inserting control rods into the reactor pressure vessel. This operation is inherently inefficient as nuclear power cost structure is composed almost entirely of sunk or fixed costs; therefore, lowering the power output, does not significantly reduce operating expenses and the plant is thermo-mechanical stressed. A more attractive option is to maintain the primary circuit at full power and use the excess power for cogeneration. This paper aims to present the techno-economic feasibility of nuclear power plants load following by cogenerating hydrogen. The paper assesses Small Modular nuclear Reactors (SMRs) coupled with: alkaline water electrolysis, high-temperature steam electrolysis, sulphur-iodine cycle. The analysis shows that in the medium term hydrogen from alkaline water electrolysis can be produced at competitive prices. High-temperature steam electrolysis and even more the sulphur-iodine cycle proved to be attractive because of their capability to produce hydrogen with higher efficiency. However, the coupling of SMRs and hydrogen facilities working at high temperature (about 800 °C) still requires substantial R&D to reach commercialisation.

Suggested Citation

  • Locatelli, Giorgio & Boarin, Sara & Fiordaliso, Andrea & Ricotti, Marco E., 2018. "Load following of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) by cogeneration of hydrogen: A techno-economic analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 494-505.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:148:y:2018:i:c:p:494-505
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2018.01.041
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    1. Locatelli, Giorgio & Boarin, Sara & Pellegrino, Francesco & Ricotti, Marco E., 2015. "Load following with Small Modular Reactors (SMR): A real options analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 41-54.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Ma, Quan & Wei, Xinyu & Qing, Junyan & Jiao, Wen & Xu, Risheng, 2019. "Load following of SMR based on a flexible load," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 733-746.
    4. Mignacca, Benito & Locatelli, Giorgio & Sainati, Tristano, 2020. "Deeds not words: Barriers and remedies for Small Modular nuclear Reactors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    5. Nian, Victor & Mignacca, Benito & Locatelli, Giorgio, 2022. "Policies toward net-zero: Benchmarking the economic competitiveness of nuclear against wind and solar energy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
    6. Mignacca, B. & Locatelli, G., 2020. "Economics and finance of Small Modular Reactors: A systematic review and research agenda," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    7. Hui, Jiuwu & Yuan, Jingqi, 2022. "Neural network-based adaptive fault-tolerant control for load following of a MHTGR with prescribed performance and CRDM faults," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    8. Hui, Jiuwu & Yuan, Jingqi, 2022. "Load following control of a pressurized water reactor via finite-time super-twisting sliding mode and extended state observer techniques," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    9. Carlo L. Vinoya & Aristotle T. Ubando & Alvin B. Culaba & Wei-Hsin Chen, 2023. "State-of-the-Art Review of Small Modular Reactors," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-30, April.
    10. Hui, Jiuwu & Yuan, Jingqi, 2021. "Chattering-free higher order sliding mode controller with a high-gain observer for the load following of a pressurized water reactor," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    11. Jiang, Di & Dong, Zhe, 2020. "Dynamic matrix control for thermal power of multi-modular high temperature gas-cooled reactor plants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    12. Choong-koo Chang & Harold Chisano Oyando, 2022. "Review of the Requirements for Load Following of Small Modular Reactors," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-12, August.
    13. Worsham, Elizabeth K. & Terry, Stephen D., 2022. "Static and dynamic modeling of steam integration for a NuScale small modular reactor and pulp and paper mill coupling for carbon-neutral manufacturing," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 325(C).
    14. Okunlola, Ayodeji & Davis, Matthew & Kumar, Amit, 2023. "Assessing the cost competitiveness of electrolytic hydrogen production from small modular nuclear reactor-based power plants: A price-following perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 346(C).
    15. Hui, Jiuwu & Lee, Yi-Kuen & Yuan, Jingqi, 2023. "ESO-based adaptive event-triggered load following control design for a pressurized water reactor with samarium–promethium dynamics," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    16. Son, In Woo & Jeong, Yongju & Son, Seongmin & Park, Jung Hwan & Lee, Jeong Ik, 2022. "Techno-economic evaluation of solar-nuclear hybrid system for isolated grid," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(PA).
    17. Urbano, Eva M. & Martinez-Viol, Victor & Kampouropoulos, Konstantinos & Romeral, Luis, 2021. "Energy equipment sizing and operation optimisation for prosumer industrial SMEs – A lifetime approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).
    18. Michaelson, D. & Jiang, J., 2021. "Review of integration of small modular reactors in renewable energy microgrids," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).

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